Ask Apartment Apothecary – homemade Christmas presents

Today’s AAA is for Becky, who got in touch to ask for homemade Christmas present ideas. She finally has time to be more creative and has begun projects that she has wanted to do for years. Becky now feels inspired to make some Christmas presents, which are more personal and also have the added bonus of saving money. I definitely want to make some presents myself this year, so I really enjoyed looking for ideas that I will use too. All of these craft projects do not involve a sewing machine, as Becky doesn’t have one, so anyone can do them.

Here’s what I found…

Small token presents for neighbours, colleagues, family friends

There are always groups of people that I want to give presents to at Christmas time, whether it be neighbours, your child’s teachers, colleagues or distant cousins, but to do so would cost an absolute fortune.  I am in love with this idea though; so cheap, so easy, so quick and what a lovely thing to be given, perfect for the festive season when you entertain in your home to make it smell lovely and Christmassy. Find the full tutorial on Dandee and see the ones I made here.

Or, what about these lovely DIY candles and you could make pretty labels for them? Perfect to hand out as small gifts. The tutorial is on Style Me Pretty.

Hand printed cushions or bedlinen

This is a really lovely idea, that is perfect for the novice crafter but can have a big impact. Buy a cheap, plain cushion cover, bedlinen, tea towels or napkins and hand print any pattern you desire – polka dots, scallops, triangles. You can even use a potato or make a stamp with a piece of lino and a lino cutter. I think I’m going to print a few cushion covers for presents this year. This tutorial by Oh No Rachio is a good place to start or here at Creature Comforts blog where she uses the rubber tip of a pencil (something that I have done before and it is super easy).

Personalised crockery

There are so many ways that you can personalise crockery or glassware to make them the ideal Christmas present. There is a great tutorial on Garland of Grace.

Fabric flower pots

I find it really difficult to find pretty plant pots and this craft idea is really easy and the results are very effective. You can buy plain terracotta plant pots from your local garden centre very cheaply and then use fabric to cover them. Find a full tutorial here.

Painted furniture

What about personalising a piece of furniture for a present? This could either be an antique piece that needs a good paint job or something as simple as an Ikea stool. Either way, this is relatively cheap, fun to do and shows a lot more thought than another pair of slippers (or whatever you always receive at Christmas).

Clay bowls

Imagine how creative you could get with air dry clay! You could stamp patterns onto them, etch words, use different paint effects and what a lovely gift these DIY bowls would make. The tutorial is over on Alice and Lois.

Keepsake board

This no-sew keepsake or notice board would make a lovely present and is relatively easy to make. I would really enjoy choosing different fabrics to make these. Find the tutorial on the Liberty blog.

Mason jar light

I think this would make a really unique gift and wow whoever you gave it to when you tell them you made it yourself. There’s a good tutorial on in.gredients and I noticed the other day when I was in Heals that they are now selling gorgeous combinations of flex and light fittings, as well as Edison bulbs.

These are just a few possibilities and if you want more inspiration head over to my craft projects board on Pinterest. Have you got any good homemade Christmas gift ideas? Please do share them in the comments section below.

I hope some of these projects will inspire you, Becky!

Katy x

P.S. If you have a craft or interiors related question, or any sort of design dilemma, please do post it on my Facebook wall or email me katy@18.200.196.112 and I will be happy to help.

Update

I absolutely love it when readers get in touch to tell me they have made something they have seen on my blog. I love it even more when they send me a pic of their make. This is Helen’s photo of the fig-secented candles she made using the tutorial on the gorgeous Really Pretty Useful blog. These are going to be one of my first makes of 2015 – thank you so much, Helen, for the inspiration x